Iran Dismisses US Anti-Terror War as Claim

(FNA)- Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli called for tighter cooperation among the regional states to prevent the spread of terrorism, and said the foreign trans-regional troops deployed in the region aren’t serious enough to stop the terrorists' advances.

"The presence of foreign forces, including the Americans, has not been able at all to prevent these terrorists' advances since the foreign forces have always been after their goals and intentions," Rahmani Fazli told reporters in Tehran on Monday.

Given Iran's adjacency to the volatile countries of the region, enhancement of security at the borders is a necessity, he said, and added, "We are in full control along the country's borders and no security incident has happened at the borders."

"We have also announced earlier that if these terrorist and Takfiri groups arrive at a distance only 40km away from the Iranian borders, we will adopt the necessary measures to confront them," Rahmani Fazli said.

Also yesterday, Iranian Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan warned of terrorist groups' increasing danger against the country, and announced plans to reinvigorate Ground Force units to be prepared for any kind of conditions.

"Today, we are encountering a new form of threats that are different from the past in type, form and size," Pourdastan said, addressing an open session of the parliament in Tehran on Sunday.

Warning that the ISIL terrorist group had found a foothold in neighboring Afghanistan and Pakistan, he said, "The Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces should be strengthened so that we can buy tanks, develop our systems and overhaul our helicopters, because today the battle is between the ground troops."

Pourdastan also called on the Iranian parliamentarians to allocate a bigger budget to the Iranian Army's Ground Force.

Also on Saturday, Pourdastan underscored that the Armed Forces would give swift and proportional response to any enemy threats.

"The Army and the Armed Forces enjoy full combat preparedness and their fingers are on the trigger and if the enemy makes an aggression against the Islamic Republic's sacred lands, they will kill the move in the bud," Pourdastan told reporters on the sidelines of massive wargames, codenamed Beit ul-Moqaddas 27, in the Western parts of the country.

He reiterated the country's power and its Armed Forces' crushing and proper response to any possible threat.

Pourdastan also addressed the friendly and neighboring countries, and said, "We can monitor any hostile force that plans to step into this region and stand against their threats."

Also in April, Pourdastan underlined that the country's Armed Forces were monitoring every single move of the enemies across the borders and beyond.

"The Armed Forces' specialized forces monitor all enemies' moves beyond the Islamic Republic of Iran's borders," Pourdastan said, addressing the Iranian people in the Northwestern city of Zanjan.

"The Armed Forces develop the necessary capacities based on the results of their monitoring of the regional conditions to nip any threat or aggressive move in the bud," he added.